Chapter 23: Idle Hands Make Light Work

"My home is in the northeast, by the Songhua River~" Su Yuan hummed a little tune as he leisurely strolled along the Mysterious Extremes Peak. When he spotted the Scripture Pavilion halfway up the mountain, he sighed: "This Scripture Pavilion is much larger than the one in Immortal Seed Valley. That Yinqin wasn't wrong when he said the valley's collection was more complete - it is complete, but all too basic. Looks like I've found a place to kill time." He continued wandering around Mysterious Extremes Peak and unexpectedly discovered many scenic spots. Su Yuan frequently paused to appreciate the views, mentally noting what he'd need to bring for future sightseeing trips. He even found a mountain pond that rekindled his fishing interest. Nearby, the Spirit Beast Garden housed many adorable creatures, making him wonder if he'd get a chance to pet them someday. Mysterious Extremes Peak offered plenty of entertainment options, lifting Su Yuan's spirits considerably as he identified several potential pastimes. While meandering, he suddenly bumped into a familiar face. "Eh? Zhang Wei?" Su Yuan's call made the dejected young man immediately raise his head. Zhang Wei's face lit up with delight as he jogged over. "Su Yuan! You finally showed up!" "Missed me that much?" Su Yuan gave him a strange look. "If you were a girl, maybe. But a grown man? Hard pass." "I owe you spirit stones! I haven't forgotten!" Zhang Wei declared solemnly, producing a storage pouch. Su Yuan accepted it curiously, extending his spiritual sense inside. The modest pouch contained a fortune - roughly two thousand spirit stones! "Two thousand? How much do you have left?" "Not much, just about two hundred. But it should suffice!" Zhang Wei replied. Su Yuan studied him seriously before patting his shoulder. "You may be arrogant, blunt, hot-tempered, and a bit of a show-off... but you keep your word. I respect that." Zhang Wei's mouth twitched. "Su Yuan, was that supposed to be a compliment?" "Come on, let's go to my place." "Wait! I forgot to call Zhou Wuyou! He came too!" Zhang Wei smacked his forehead, taking out a paper crane. After folding it and murmuring a few words, he infused it with spiritual energy, sending it flying into the distance. Su Yuan watched curiously. "It's a Paper Crane for short-distance messages. Cheap too - three Fragment Spirit Stones each. You don't have any?" Zhang Wei asked. Su Yuan: "......" Soon, Zhou Wuyou arrived. His eyes brightened upon seeing Su Yuan. "Brother Su! Thanks for recommending me - I finally made it into the outer sect! Otherwise I'd still be doing menial work for three more years." "My apologies," Su Yuan shook his head. "I got trapped somewhere and couldn't get out. I meant to recommend you a year earlier." "No matter! This extra year of tempering was perfect. I solidified my alchemy foundations, which actually helped my cultivation. My pill-refining skills improved significantly - entering the outer sect immediately might have made me neglect basics," Zhou Wuyou said earnestly, then added sheepishly: "I promised to prepare resources for you, but my family's support has been limited this year. I'll definitely make it up later." Su Yuan waved dismissively. "No need. Our transaction concluded with the recommendation. Didn't I use your resources to enter the inner sect too?" While the impact had been minimal, Zhou Wuyou's resources had provided plausible cover for Su Yuan's rapid progress. Zhou Wuyou actually looked somewhat disappointed at this. "Let's head to my cave dwelling first." "Sure!" The trio arrived at Su Yuan's valley residence where he served them plain water. Zhou Wuyou asked curiously, "As an inner disciple, you can assign two outer disciples to handle chores, right? Your spirit fields look empty." "That's allowed? I'll look into it later," Su Yuan nodded. As they chatted over water, Zhang Wei mentioned handling magical implements. "Oh? You can craft artifacts now?" Su Yuan sounded surprised. "Of course!" Zhang Wei boasted. "I'm a forging prodigy! Despite having Gold-Water Spirit Roots, I have exceptional fire control. My water attributes actually help during quenching, maintaining stability even in extreme heat. In short - I'm a natural! Hahaha!" His laughter boomed. "I'll definitely become a master artificer! Then use that to boost my cultivation, reach Golden Core realm, elevate my family to Golden Core status, and—" "Okay, okay, I get it!" Su Yuan wiped imaginary sweat. Zhou Wuyou rolled his eyes. "I've actually successfully refined Qi Condensing Pills. Low-grade, but decent success rate. I'd say my alchemy talent slightly surpasses this blockhead's." Zhang Wei glared. "Call me blockhead if you must, but claiming superior talent? That's hilarious!" "Just stating facts," Zhou Wuyou said calmly. "You—" Zhang Wei bristled. Su Yuan intervened, "Earlier you mentioned handling artifacts? I happen to have a shop where you can sell your works - just cover your material costs." "You own a shop?" Zhang Wei looked skeptical. "I heard you need connections to operate in the market. Weren't you just from an ordinary family?" Su Yuan's mouth twitched. "Let's say the process was... unconventional. But yes, I have a shop." Zhang Wei brightened. "I know some novice artificers too embarrassed to sell their shoddy works. Could they display at your place?" "You have artificer friends?" Zhou Wuyou sounded shocked. Zhang Wei ignored him, addressing Su Yuan: "No consignment fees?" "Fees? Don't worry about it. The shop's lease ends in two months anyway - not worth charging for." Zhou Wuyou chimed in, "I've met some novice alchemists recently with miscellaneous stock. Could we sell their wares too? At discounted prices?" Su Yuan had an idea. "About those outer disciples you mentioned - they could take turns minding the shop." "Simple enough," Zhou Wuyou agreed. None took the shop seriously - just a dumping ground for novice creations that wouldn't fetch much but needed selling. After parting ways (with shop directions provided), Su Yuan visited the administration office. "Honored steward, as an inner disciple, I'd like to assign two outer disciples." He presented his inner disciple token. "Names." "What names?" "The outer disciples' names." "Haven't found any yet." "No names, no registration. Find them first!" "Right." Exiting, Su Yuan carved a notice on wood using Mystic Truth Qi: [Inner disciple seeks outer disciples for chores/market sales. Inquire within.] Several disciples approached. "Senior brother, which inner disciple is recruiting?" "Me." "You?" "Yes." "Your name?" "Su Yuan." "...Never heard of you. Uh, just remembered something!" The disciple fled. Su Yuan realized outer disciples looked down on unknown inner disciples. Mysterious Extremes Peak's standards were high - even their outer disciples had mid-grade spirit roots, barely inferior to his high-grade ones, hence their reluctance to serve an obscure inner disciple. Just as Su Yuan thought no one would come, a shifty-eyed fellow approached. "Senior brother, need help selling goods?" "And you are?" Su Yuan asked with interest. "Song Cai. Mid-grade five-element spirit roots. Tired of feeding spirit beasts. What benefits do you offer?" "Benefits? Hmm... occasional barbecue?" "Deal!" Song Cai's beady eyes gleamed. "I've a brother serving on another peak. If you need another hand..." "Sure. His name?" "Song Qian!" "Your names are... auspicious." "Naturally!" Song Cai laughed. Su Yuan didn't mind - just needed help running the shop until its closure, after which they could peddle wares elsewhere. Song Qian arrived promptly - equally cunning-looking with darting eyes. After registration, Su Yuan gained two helpers exempted from sect chores. The Song brothers were overjoyed, clearly despising menial work. Su Yuan showed them the shop, handed over keys, and told them to coordinate with Zhang Wei and Zhou Wuyou. With matters settled, Su Yuan put it all out of mind and returned home to rest.